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“You know him. He’s your brother. Three years younger than you. An inch taller. Wears glasses. Likes a cannoli while he does the books?”

“IknowDario,” Marco said. Exasperated and yet totally, completely charmed. “What I don’t know is what he has to do withthis?” He gestured between them.

Andrew tucked himself more fully into Marco’s embrace—which didn’t feel like a thing he’d do if he was about to counsel them to keep their hands off each other for the next month—orGod, even longer.

“Easy,” Andrew said. “You will fire me, as your employee, and Dario will hire me as your contractor. Contracted to run your pastry kitchen and train Daniel for a set amount of time. Let’s say six weeks? You won’t be my boss, because I’ll be an independent contractor. And we can keep doing this.” Andrew laid a lush, insanely good kiss on Marco’s mouth. “And after that, I’ll be working on the bakery and we’ll own two completely totally separate businesses.”

“It’s hardly that simple,” Marco said, even though he desperately wanted it to be.

“Why can’t it be?” Andrew shot him a look. “If you weren’t so worried about this, and I hadn’t just been through the world’s shittiest breakup, it wouldn’t have even been necessary to go that far. But if it makes us both feel protected . . .why not?”

“You’re never going to throw a pomegranate at me?”

“You ever going to lure some intern into your office for a quick blowjob?”

Marco was speechless. Ofcoursehe wouldn’t. Whether he was dating Andrew or not.

“No, you wouldn’t,” Andrew said, answering his own question. He pressed another kiss to Marco’s mouth. “That’s to remember me by, until Dario gets the paperwork in order.”

“Trust me, I don’t think I could forget you a second time,” Marco said honestly.

Andrew smiled. “I’m going to hold you to that promise.”

ChapterSeven

Night Five

“You’ve thought this through.”

Dario looked up at Marco through his glasses.

He looked so much like Luca there, who’d used to occupy that desk, that office.

Sometimes Marco still missed his eldest brother, but mostly, he was happyhewas happy.

Dario did his job almost better than Luca had and with far less emotional angst about it. But Marco didn’t think Luca would have questioned him like this.

“Yes,” Marco said.

“Wejustdid the paperwork to hire him,” Dario said. “Does it really matter to your dick if he’s a full-fledged employee and we give him a W-2 at the end of the year, or if he’s technically a contractor and we 1099 him? TheIRSgives a shit, but I don’t know what it has to do with your sex life?”

“I know it seems strange,” Marco said. “I know it shouldn’t matter, but it does. To me. And to him.”

“Because of Izzy?”

“And all the others that came before her. I know you don’t work in the kitchen or understand the hierarchy of it, but thisdoesmatter.” Marco had lain awake most of the night, tossing and turning over it. Aroused, yes, and not wanting to take matters into his own hands, necessarily, because this erection didn’t belong to him, but to Andrew. But also wanting to be sure, absolutely confident, that doing this paperwork would give both of them the peace of mind they needed to pursue this without regrets.

“He can still throw a pomegranate at your hard head,” Dario teased, leaning back in his chair.

“Ah, but he’s promised not to.”

Dario didn’t roll his eyes, but Marco could tell he wanted to. “And that’s enough for you?”

“I can’t say for certain if we’ll be together in fifty years, like Mama and Papa. I can’t say we’ll be wildly in love like Luca and Oliver. Or you and Natalia. Or Gabe and Sean. But I know I want to see. I could wait the month or two, for Andrew to handle our pastry kitchen and train Daniel to do the same, but I . . .I don’t want to. I really, really don’t want to. And that’s what tells me this is necessary.”

“Alright,” Dario said, nodding. “I’ll do the paperwork. It’ll take a day or two.”

“Two days? Tomorrow night?” Marco remembered what Andrew had initially offered him. Six days. Six nights of service. He’d give him that, then fire him—ceremoniously, of course—and then take him home when the night was over.